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Saturday, July 6, 2013

July is Bioterrorism/Disaster Education and Awareness Month

July is Bioterrorism/Disaster Education and Awareness Month. These books show us what can happen when bioterrorism strikes or show us the lengths some people will go to in order to stop it.

Unraveling by Elizabeth Norris. Janelle died, and then when was brought back to life. Her father's an FBI agent and when she leafs through his files, she finds a mysterious rash of deaths he's working on, and a clock counting down to the end of the world. The first in a series, follow it with Unbreakable.

Streams of Babel by Carol Plum-Ucci. After a town is infected with a mysterious flu, it's discovered that someone has infected the water supply. Meanwhile, in Pakistan, a young hacker discovers the chatter about the virus, and works to warn everyone while he can. Check out the sequel, Fire Will Fall.

Cinder by Marissa Meyer. This futuristic cyberpunk retelling of Cinderella not only stars an Android, but features and Earth riddled by a mysterious plague imported from the moon.

The Hallowed Ones by Laura Bickle. Right before her Rumspringa, the elders in Katie's Amish community decide that no one can come in and no one can leave. There is unrest Outside, something bad is out there, and the elders want to keep the community safe. But when Katie finds someone near the border, someone who needs help, she can't just leave him there to die-- but is she bringing horror in to the community? TL;DR version: Amish vampire fiction. The scary kind, not the sexy kind.

And All the Stars by Andrea K. Host. When Earth is attacked by Spires (fountains of dust that may be aliens, or germ warfare-- no one's really sure) Madeline and her friends must try to survive in the post-apocalyptic landscape.

The Rise of Lubchenko by Michael Simmons. Evan's father's evil business partner has some live smallpox virus and unless Evan and his friends can stop him, he's selling it to some terrorists. So, Evan and his friends are off on a mad-cap adventure to save the world. Start with the first one, Finding Lubchenko. They're out of print, but worth checking out at your library.

Neptune's Children by Bonnie Dobkin. After a biological attack kills all the adults, the children left at the amusement park form a new society, sealing themselves off from the outside world.

Rainbow Six by Tom Clancy. Rainbow is an international team of elite operatives who use sheer force to stop terrorism in its tracks (although the levels of force seem a lot less extreme than they did when the book first came out.) In this exciting adventure, the team is after a group of bioterrorists. Published for adults, don't be intimidated by the length-- it's an action-packed page-turner that teens will enjoy.

Patient Zero by Jonathan Marberry. Detective Joe Ledger is desperately trying to stop a group of terrorists from releasing a virus that turns people into zombies. Written for adults, older teens who appreaciate Maberry's YA zombie novels (start with Rot & Ruin) and ready for a the next level up will like this series.

What are your bioterrorism must-reads?

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